Food and Its Significance

            Everyone has had those meals that they remember. For some people, it is the worst meal they have ever had. For others, the best meal that they have ever had will come to their mind. People might remember the context of their meal, who they were with, what and why they were there, but that always seems to be lost in our vast memories. Food has many meanings to many people. For myself, I have always been called a foodie. Food in my life I hope will always be delicious, yet it is not only food that I like. Every meal I have I like to have with someone else. I want to connect to people through food and because of food. Food only means something to me when it is shared between family and friends.

            While we all know that Easter is coming up, many times other religious holidays are forgotten in our culture. The Jewish holiday of Passover is coming up just before Easter, and this holiday is an important holiday for every Jew across the world. While I was brought up as a Christian, I have always celebrated Passover because my stepmother is Jewish along with her family. One would think that participating in the religious ceremony would be awkward for me, but participating in Passover did something for me that no other holiday had done for me before. There was a connectedness that I felt to the culture and to the people around the table that I think religious holidays are about. Also, the meal is amazing.

            Passover is a very ritualistic holiday that commemorates the freedom of the slaves from Egypt. The ceremony during dinner is followed carefully and does show many of the cultural significance of the event. Of course, I could explain the ritual and every step, but I would much rather tell about the different types of foods that are eaten at the table.

            The token food item in Passover is called matzo. Matzo is a bread product that has no leavening agent in it. It is symbolic to the flight from Egypt that the Jews had and how they could not wait for their bread to rise so they made unleavened bread. To be honest, this stuff tastes like cardboard unless you lather it with butter and salt. Also, matzo is eaten for eight days after the Seder because Jews go through a fasting period which they cannot eat anything leavened. I often participate in this fast because I think that it is a good test of character and a way to find what my limits are.

            Another food item at Passover is matzo balls. These beautiful creations are one of the best items on the menu during Passover. They are cooked by boiling them in chicken broth and it is served in a bowl with the broth it is cooked in. The smell from the matzo ball is something that can always be remembered and stays in your mind even after you eat it. My family always cannot wait to get their hands on the matzo balls during dinner and we often will have two or three, in full knowledge that there is plenty more food to come.

            Now I realize that I have listed two foods that can be really good, but dinner would not be complete if there was not at least one item that is nasty. In my opinion, there is only one item that is nasty on the menu and that would be Gefilte fish. Gefilte fish are fish patties that are made from ground, boneless fish. When you see the container that it comes in, it looks like some science experiment gone wrong. The liquid is a greenish pale color along with the fish. When it is served, my stepmother often puts it on lettuce to make the color look more appealing, but it honestly doesn’t help. Then there is the taste. It tastes like fish gone stale and has a weird consistency that fish should not ever have.

            After you get through with the Gefilte fish, there is light at the end of the tunnel. The main meal that my family usually makes is brisket, often with potatoes and some type of green vegetable. The brisket is marinated in a mixture of onions and other vegetables. This mixture is then cooked with the brisket and is turned into thick gravy that will coat the brisket. It doesn’t take long for all of my family to have their mouths watering from simply looking at it on the table. To be honest, the whole night is made because of this one dish. It is especially wonderful when there are leftovers and it lasts my family through the week.

            Of course, all of these meals are wonderful, but it would not be the same without the company that comes with it. It wouldn’t be complete without my grandfather cracking jokes to me, my brother, and my two cousins, who are only a year older than I am. It wouldn’t be the same if my grandmother weren’t talking about the aches and pains she has. It wouldn’t be the same without my aunt telling funny stories about her job and what crazy things happen in it. It wouldn’t be the same without my dog circling around the table hoping for some small food scrap to be dropped on the ground. If none of that were there then it would not be a Passover. Food is a time to unite people in their different walks in life and bring them together. That is what is significant to me.